A blog of liberal, progressive ideas in politics, government, and social issues.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Gun ownership down; Guns owned at record high

Yes, you read that right. Several polls and surveys show a significant decline in the percent of adults who own a gun or live with someone who does. CBS News just released its poll that shows36% of U.S. adults personally own a gun or live in a household with a gun. That is the lowest rate since CBS began this poll in 1978, and it is 17% lower than the highest point in 1994.Other surveys chart similar declines in the number of people with guns: one shows a 10% decline since 1994; another has a 20% drop since the mid-1970s.But we also know that there is a record high in the number of guns in the U.S. It was a big news item recently when the number of firearms in the U.S. surpassed the population -- meaning more than one gun for each adult and each child.So . . . somebody is buying a lot of guns. But it's a smaller and smaller number of buyers buying more and more guns. One measure is the FBI's background checks; another is gun manufacturers' records. The 2016 CBS survey estimates that the average gun owner now owns approximately 8 firearms -- compared to 6.6 in 2004 -- and that roughly 1 in 5 owners has 10 or more guns. This was reported in theWashington Post by Christopher Ingraham, who concludes:

"Survey data showing declining gun ownership suggest that the NRA has been successful largely by channeling the energy and intensity of an existing gun-owning base, rather than by broadening that base and bringing more supporters into the fold."

Think about what this means. Guns don't vote. People do. We need to start letting politicians know we're on to the scam -- and letting voters know they can do something about gun violence. Ignore the propaganda paid for by the NRA and spouted by its minions and spineless, bought politicians. Rise up, people -- and vote your conscience. We may not be able to vote guns out, but we can vote the NRA-bought politicians out of office.